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Brookner's London

The novels of Anita Brookner provide abundant opportunity to explore London. I think all of her 24 novels take place at least in part in London. And her characters spend a lot of time walking around. I have always had it in my mind that I wanted to document Brookner's London. Now that I am starting to re-read all of her novels in chronological order, I realize I have the perfect opportunity to construct a sort of Gazetteer of London place names in Brookner's fiction. I am also tempted to chart the places out of London, or out of the country (mainly France and Switzerland) that Brookner's characters visit. But her books are so London-centric, that I think the spirit of her characters live in London regardless of their temporary forays outside the metropolitan area.

It will be interesting to see how broad (or narrow) the London of Brookner's characters is. I won't necessarily be listing evey place mentioned. To be included someone in the book needs to actually go to the place or have some other association with it.

Acton
BL: During her childhood in Camberwell, Fay says that "there would be tears as [her mother] saw the prospect of the modern flat in Finchley or Acton receding". Earlier in the book Fay says that her mother always dreamed of "a modern flat, in a suburb like Ealing or Golders Green".Ashley Gardens
LAT: The building near Victoria Station where both Hartmann and Fibich and their wives lived.
LAT: Part of Fibich's Sunday walk.

Baron's Court
BL: Where Julia's brother Gerald had once lived.

Battersea Park
ACE: Where Miss Wetherby takes Rex the dog and Immy on walks.
BL: When Alan Carter runs each day.Bayswater
SIL: Sally Jacobs' flat.
LP: Lewis and Emmy end take leave of each other at the Bayswater entrance to Hyde Park.

Bayswater Road
FFE: On her way from Notting Hill Road to Marble Arch, Rachel observes the Japanese tourists gazing at the "junk displayed against the railings of the [Hyde] park. Later in the book, Rachel "trudged along" Bayswater Road on her way from her shop to Heather's flat.

Beaufort Street
ACE: Where the Dodds by the newly married Tessa and Jack Peckham a flat.

Belgravia
LAT: Part of Fibich's Sunday walk.

British Museum
LAM: Frequent destination for Fanny
LP: Lewis does his research here.

Brittania Road
LP: Thea and Tissy Harper live here.

Brompton Road
BL: Location of library where Julia suggests it might be more convenient for Fay to change Julia's books. (see also Kensington)

Bryanston Square
FAF: Where Alfred decides to by a flat for him and his mother, having a "dim memory of living there as a child"
LAM: Olivia Benedict and her family live here

Buckingham Palace Road
LAT: Part of Fibich's Sunday walk.

Cadogan Square
ACE: Where Harriet's childhood friend Tessa Dodd and her family lived.Camberwell (Grove)
BL: Where Fay grew up in a "narrow Georgian houses now sought after by the sons and daughters of merchant bankers." Later, the location is specified as Camberwell Grove. (see also Ealing, Golders Green, Finchley, or Acton entries)

The Caprice
BL: One of the places Julia suggests they go when Fay says she is taking Julia and Maureen out to dinner. (see also The Savoy Grill)

Caxton Hall
BL: Where Fay and Owen were married.

Charing Cross Road
FAF: Alfred frequents a bookshop here where Mr. Levy has set aside a six-volume edition of Shakespeare's plays for him.

Chelsea
LAM: Fanny walks through to get to and from Nick and Alix's flat on the King's Road

The Coliseum
FFE: Where Rachel takes Oscar and Dorrie to see La Boheme.

Compayne Gardens
LAT: The apartment building that looked like a "huge red-brick cottage" where Hartmann lived as a child with his aunt Marie Jessop. Fibich also lived with them there as a child and stayed on for five years after her death before moving into Ashley Gardens.

(The) Connaught
ACE: Where Harriet and Freddie had his 50th birthday lunch.

Cork Street
ACE: Where Harriet worked at a bookstore typing invoices before she was married.

Cornwall Gardens
ACE: Where the newly married Harriet and Freddie lived.

Covent Garden
ACE: Freddie and Harriet take Immy and Lizzie here to see the ballet Swan Lake.

Dorchester
LAT: Where Marianne's work friend Belinda intended to get a table for the ball.
MIS: The hotel where Sally's husband Paul is staying with the Demuths.

Devonshire Place
FAF: Where Evie's father bought her a flat prior to her marriage to Frederick.

Drayton Gardens
BL: Where Fay buys a flat after Owen's death. She notes that it was near the cinema which would put it near the intersection of Fulham Road.

DulwichPRV: Where Kitty's mother and later grandparent's liveEaling
BL: Not liking Camberwell, Fay's mother always dreamed of "a modern flat, in a suburb like Ealing or Golders Green". But later in the book Fay notes that "there would be tears as [her mother] saw the prospect of the modern flat in Finchley or Acton receding".

Earl's Court
BL: Fay equates Pearl's Sunday evening calls about Julia with "clouds of ennui rolling up from South Kensington or down from Earls Court".Earl's Court RoadLP: Lewis's Walk after leaving Pen's house.

Finchley
BL: During her childhood in Camberwell, Fay says that "there would be tears as [her mother] saw the prospect of the modern flat in Finchley or Acton receding". Earlier in the book Fay says that her mother always dreamed of "a modern flat, in a suburb like Ealing or Golders Green".

Foubert's Place
BL: After moving out of her parent's house, Fay shares a little flat here with Millie.

Fulham
BL: See St. Maur Road
MMIS: Neighborhood where Blanche's ex-husband Bertie lives with his new wife Mousie.

Fulham Road
BL: Julia would "get into character" she thought appropriate to the environs of Fulham Road by taking a wicker basket. (Described in conjunction with her visits to the jewellers near the South Kensington station.) (See also entry for Drayton Gardens)
SIL: Part of Ruth's walk

The General Trading Company
LAT: Part of a shopping excursion Yvette takes and invites Christine along. Trip included Peter Jones, the General Trading Company, Harvey Nichols, and Harrods.

Gertrude Street
BL: Originally the marital home of Henry and Lavinia "Vinnie" Langdon, after their divorce/separation became Owen's house, then it became Owen and Fay's marital home, and after Owen's death Fay sold it to Owen's cousin Paul Langdon and his wife Caroline. "...a handsome street, filled with handsome houses" is treeless, has little traffic because it is closed at one end, and feed into other streets "exactly like itself".

Golders Green
ACE: Where Tessa (Dodd) Peckham's funeral is held.
BL: Not liking Camberwell, Fay's mother always dreamed of "a modern flat, in a suburb like Ealing or Golders Green". But later in the book Fay notes that "there would be tears as [her mother] saw the prospect of the modern flat in Finchley or Acton receding".

Great Portland Street
BL: Fay's former flatmate Millie and her husband Donald still maintain his flat here although they move to the country years previously.

Grosvenor Square
PRV: Location of Louise's dressmaking salon

Gunter's
ACE: Where the adult Harriet, Tessa, Pamela, and Mary met for on of their occasional Saturday lunches.

Hall Road
LP: Roberta from Lewis's days in Paris lives on this road in St. John's Wood.Hampstead
LAT: Hartmann's aunt's husband Mr. Jessop was an artist "of the kind that had congregated in Hampsted in the years before the war". Some of his Fauve-style paintings of Hampstead looked as if it might be on the outskirts of Avignon.
LAT: Young Fibich would walk up the steep streets of West Hampstead with shopping bags.

Hampstead Heath
LAT: As children Hartmann and Fibich traverse the Heath.

Harley Street Clinic
BL: Where Charlie was taken after his stroke.Harrods
ACE: Pamela makes special trips to London to go to Harrods.
ACE: After a shopping trip Harriet and Immy sit in the restaurant.
BL: Charlie would telephone Harrods or Selfridges "with a quite substantial order"
FAF: Where Evie may have gotten her wedding dress (see also Whiteley's)
FFE: Where Dorrie makes almost daily shopping trips leading up to Heather's wedding.
LAT: Part of a shopping excursion Yvette takes and invites Christine along. Trip included Peter Jones, the General Trading Company, Harvey Nichols, and Harrods.
MIS: While on a bus through Knightsbridge Blanche observes the crowds of tourists swirling around in front of Harrods.

Harvey Nichols
LAT: Part of a shopping excursion Yvette takes and invites Christine along. Trip included Peter Jones, the General Trading Company, Harvey Nichols, and Harrods.

Highgate Cemetery
BL: One of the places Fay and Alan would visit on their Sunday outings. (see also Soane Museum)

Hyde Park
Implied destination for Emmy and Lewis's picnic. (See also: Bayswater entrance, the Italian Garden, the Serpentine, and the Long Water.)

Hyde Park Corner
MIS: Blanche has a flashback to a bag of oozing plums bought at a market in the South of France as the bus she is on rounded Hyde Park Corner.
MIS: In the heat and traffic after her final meeting with Paul, Blanche feels she cannot move until the streets empty of traffic or a taxi rescues her.

The Italian Garden
LP: Where Emmy and Lewis stop to kiss on their picnic outing in Hyde Park.

Judd Street
ACE: Where Jack Peckham lived when he married Tessa Dodd. He maintained the flat througout his marriage and often stayed there. Where the adult Lizzie lives. (59 Judd Street Mansions)

Kensington
BL: Location of library where Julia says they have a better selection. (see also Brompton Road)
LAM: Where Miss Morpeth lives

Kentish Town
FAF: Where Lautner has a flat.

Kensington High Street
SIL: Where Ruth's neighbors at Edith Grove, Miss Howe and Miss Mackendrick, go to do some shopping
LP: Lewis's Walk after leaving Pen's house

King's Road
ACE: Harriet rushes down the road to go see Tessa in the hospital after she gave birth to Lizzie.
LAM: Home of Nick and Alix's flat
LP: Lewis finds himself here on a walk after having given up waiting for a bus.
LP: After they are married and Lewis has updated Tissy's wardrobe so that she is looking young and modern, they would walk here on Saturday afternoons and Lewis would feel proud and married.
LP: Part of Lewis's walk.
LP: Lewis's Walk after leaving Pen's house
SIL: Part of Ruth's walk.

Knightsbridge
LAM: James takes Fanny, Nick, and Alix to a large hotel here for a nightcap.
MIS: While on a bus through Knightsbridge Blanche observes the crowds of tourists swirling around in front of Harrods.

The Mall
LAM: Fanny walks along the Mall on one of her Sunday walks home from the Benedicts.
LP: Part of Lewis's walk.

Manchester Square
LAM: Location of the medical institute where Fanny works

Marble Arch
FFE: The large block behind Marble Arch is where Oscar and Dorrie bought a flat for Heather and Michael. See also Norfolk Square for reference to this same flat. Later in the book Rachel is stuck in traffic here. Years after Dorrie died, Rachel sees Oscar for the last time as he stumps off in the direction of Marble Arch.
LAM: Fanny walks by as part of her walks through the park and on her way home. It is in the subway here that she is frightened by a drunk man.

Marlebone High Street
FFE: Heather spends a pleasant half hour here in a cafe with Dorrie's sisters after visiting her in the nearby London Clinic and again later in the book with Heather.

Marshall and Snelgrove
ACE: Department store where Merle Harrap worked as a mannequin before she married Hughie. [It was located on the corner north side of Oxford Street at the corner of Vere Street.]

Manchester Square
LAT: Where Yvette lived with her mother and stepfather Edward Cazenove. The flat had been his bachelor apartment.Marylebone High Street
LAT: Hartmann sat in a patisserie here "for a long time" watching patrons including rich widows who looked like they came from St. John's Wood.Marylebone Lane
FAF: Location of Mr. Cariani's where Mimi and Betty take piano and dancing lessons respectively.

Markham Street
LAM: Where James lives with his mother

Montagu Square
HDL: Where Geoffrey lived with his mother. Also the location of the "marital bed" for Geoffreey and Edith.

Montrose Court
HDL: London home of Iris and Jennifer Pusey (see also St. John's Wood)

National Gallery
ACE: The young adult Lizzie goes on solo trips to London and often rests here after walking all day.
LAM: Frequent destination for Fanny
LAT: Aunt Jessop took Hartmann, Fibich, and Christine to hear Myra Hess play Bach there
MIS: Almost daily destination for Blanche

New Burlington Street
ACE: Where Harriet stopped for coffee after work at the bookshop on Cork Street.

Norfolk Square
FFE: Heather's flat was in a complex of buildings here with a "Thirties-ish appearance". Elsewhere Brookner has this same flat behind Marble Arch. Not necessarily an error, but one could argue based on looking at a map that Norfolk Square is more accurately near Paddington than in the environs of Marble Arch. Perhaps Brookner was thinking like an estate agent.

Notting Hill Gate
FFE: Dust blew into Rachel's eyes as she walked along here into Bayswater Road on her way to Marble Arch.
LP: Lewis watches Emmy head in the direction of Notting Hill Gate after saying goodbye at the Bayswater entrance to Hyde Park.

Oakwood Court
SIL: Where Ruth and her parent's live

Old Brompton Road
LP: Lewis's Walk after leaving Pen's house

Old Church StreetPRV: Kitty's flat

Onslow SquareBL: Where Julia (and Charlie) live in "that spacious but chilly flat"

Oxford Street
ACE: Where Harriet went to secretarial school.
LAM: Fanny walks here on a rainy night, in desolation after the disasterous pre-Christmas dinner with James, Nick, Alix, and Maria

Park Lane
LAM: Fanny walks along Park Lane on a rainy night in desolation after the disasterous pre-Christmas dinner with James, Nick, Alix, and Maria
LAT: Marianne worked at the top of Park Lane in a "formerly elegant house" for a charity that raised money for neurological units in children's hospitals
MIS: Blanche feels threatened by the press of traffic here. Later in the book it presents a picture of hopeless confusion.

Parsons Green
LP: Where Lewis lives with his mother. (Likely the neighborhood, not the street or green itself. The "Common" could be Parsons Green or Eel Brook Common. See also Stokenchurch Street.)
LP: End of Lewis's walk. (Likely the neighborhood, not the street or green itself. The "Common" could be Parsons Green or Eel Brook Common. See also Stokenchurch Street.)
LP: End of Lewis's Walk after leaving Pen's house. (Likely the neighborhood, not the street or green itself. The "Common" could be Parsons Green or Eel Brook Common. See also Stokenchurch Street.)

Pembridge Crescent
LP: Lewis's Walk after leaving Pen's house

Percy Street
PRV: Kitty's grandparent's (Vadim and Louise) flatPeter Jones
BL: Fay, Julia, Julia's mother, Julia's former dresser Pearl Chesney, and Maureen would go to Peter Jones. After moving into Drayton Gardens, Fay goes to Peter Jones to buy "dustbins and kettles and tea towels". Fay meets with Maureen and Clive Smallwood when they tell her they are to be married. Clive refers to Maureen being fond of the place and often treating herself to "morning coffee in the restaurant." Julia suggests Fay pick up a table cloth that Julia can give to Maureen as a wedding present.
LAT: Part of a shopping excursion Yvette takes and invites Christine along. Trip included Peter Jones, the General Trading Company, Harvey Nichols, and Harrods.

Pimlico Road
LP: Part of Lewis's walk.

Pitt Street
LP: "Pen's house, a cottage by London's standards, yet with the desirable chic that his [Lewis's] own house lacked, was in Pitt Street."
LP: Lewis's Walk after leaving Pen's house

Pont Street
ACE: Where many of Merle's dress shop customers ("old trout") live.Portman Square
FFE: Location of Heather's "comfortable service flat" that Oscar and Dorrie bought for her. Later she moves to Marble Arch.Queen Mary College
BL: Pearl Chesney's son went here for engineering. (Possibly refers to Queen Mary University of London)The Queen's Gallery
LAT: Part of Fibich's Sunday walk.

Queen's Gate
LP: Arthur Tooth lives in a hotel here.

Redcliffe Gardens
LP: Lewis's Walk after leaving Pen's house

Redcliffe Square
ACE: Where Tessa lived with two flatmates before she married Jack and moved into Wellington Square.Regent's Park
FAF: Mr. Cariani houses a widowed sister-in-law in a property he owns north of the park.
FAF: Where Lautner and Mimi take "gentle walks".

Regent Street
BL: Fay would show her mother the shops here after her mother's visits to her flat in Foubert's Place.

The Ritz
ACE: Where Harriet's parents plan to go to tea as part of one of their visits to London from their home in Brighton.
FFE: The location of Heather's wedding reception.

Royal Academy (of Art)
ACE: After lunch at the Connaught and before shopping at Fortnum and Mason, Harriet and Freddie go to an exhibition here on his 50th birthday. See also St. James'sRoyal Academy (of Music)
LAT: Hartmann observes woman on her way from St. John's Wood to the Royal Academy. I believe this is while he is still sitting in the patisserie in Marylebone High Street so I am guessing it is the Royal Academy of Music which is in the neighborhood.

Royal Court Hotel
ACE: Harriet stands out on the pavement here after one of the lunches with Tessa, Pamela, and Mary. Presumably they gathered in the hotel.

The Savoy
LAT: Where Toto took Marianne to celebrate her upcoming wedding.

The Savory Grill
BL: One of the places Julia suggests they go when Fay says she is taking Julia and Maureen out to dinner. (see also The Caprice)

St. James's
ACE: In retirement Freddie goes to the galleries around here (and to the Royal Academy as well).

St. John's Wood
HDL: London home of Iris and Jennifer Pusey (see also Montrose Court)
LAT: Hartmann sat in a patisserie in Marylebone High Street watching patrons including rich widows who looked like they came from St. John's Wood.
LP: Roberta from Lewis's Paris days has a lovely little flat here (in Hall Road).St. Lukes
BL: Maureen "seemed to clock in to St Luke's twice a day, once for worship, and later for a rather excited discussion of parish business..." (Possibly refers to St. Lukes on Sydney Street in Chelsea.)

St. Martin's Lane
ACE: The young adult Lizzie goes on solo trips to London and has a sandwich in a coffee shop here.St. Maur Road
BL: Pearl Chesney lived in St. Maur Road in Fulham.

St. Petersburgh Place
LP: Where Pen's boyfriend George lives.

St. Stephen's Hospital
LP: Where Mrs. Harper's doctor boyfriend ends up after his heart attack.

Scotch House
LP: Woolen and cashmere retailer with various locations in London where Mrs. Millinship liked to shop. Perhaps a location close to the Stanhope Court Hotel.

Selfridge's
BL: Charlie would telephone Harrods or Selfridges "with a quite substantial order"
LAT: After lunch at his regular, unnamed spot, Hartmann strolled in the direction of Selfridge's
LP: Emmy and Lewis take a cab here to get a picnic lunch in the park [Hyde Park]
MIS: Blanche pauses to observe passersby at a bus stop in front of the store.

The Serpentine
LAM: Fanny walks by as part of her walks through the park
LP: Emmy and Lewis pass here on their picnic outing.

Sloane Avenue
BL: Julia's mother lives in a service flat somewhere off of Sloane Avenue

Sloane Square
HDL: The sun comes out blazing here as Edith is driven around avoiding her wedding at the Registry Office on Tregunter Road.
LP: Part of Lewis's walk.
SIL: Part of Ruth's walk.

Sloane Street
LAM: At the top of Sloane Street Fanny asks James if they can walk through the park on the way to her flat in Maida Vale.
LAT: Part of a shopping trip Yvette took with Christine that included Peter Jones, the General Trading Company, Harrods, and Harvey Nichols.

Soane Museum
BL: One of the places Fay and Alan would visit on their Sunday outings. (see also Highgate Cemetery)

Soho
ACE: Merle and Hughie had a flat here as a young couple.

South Kensington
BL: Julia would sometimes go out to a jeweller's near South Kensington station to have her clocks and watches mended. (see also Fulham Road)
BL: Fay equates Pearl's Sunday evening calls about Julia with "clouds of ennui rolling up from South Kensington or down from Earls Court".

Stokenchurch Street
LP: Where Lewis and his mother live, also where Tissy lived briefly with Lewis after they were married. More often in the text the home is referred to as being in Parsons Green, which must refer to the neighborhood, not the street of Parsons Green or Parsons Green itself.

The Tate GalleryLAM: Frequent destination for Fanny.Trafalgar SquareLP: Part of Lewis's walk.

Tregunter Road
HDL: Location of Registry Office where Edith and Geoffrey intended to get married.

Victoria and Albert [Museum]
LP: Tissy makes Lewis think of the pale virgins in stone here, but not as virginal looking as she is.

Victoria [and Victoria Station]ACE: The train is pulling out of the station when Harriet has her seduction fantasy of Jack Peckham after Tessa's death.LAM: Fanny imagines getting a flat near here after she sends housekeeper Nancy back to Cork and sells her parent's flat in Maida Vale.LAT: Part of a walk Fibich takes one Sunday.LP: Where Lewis goes to catch the ferry train for Paris.LP: Part of Lewis's walk.PRV: Station to get to Kitty's grandparent's house in Dulwich.SIL: Part of Ruth's walk.

The Wallace Collection
MIS: One of the places Blanche frequented during the day.

Wandsworth Bridge Road
LP: Early in the novel, while his mother is still alive, Lewis imagines a future where shopping here is part of his routine.

Waterloo Station
ACE: Where Lizzie arrives/departs on trips to London after she is moved to Windsor after her mother's death.

Wellington Square
ACE: Where Tessa (Dodd) Peckham lives after she gets married (see also Judd Street).

West Brompton
MIS: Neighborhood with "flowerless streets" where Blanche lives.

West End
BL: Fay's mother was eventually proud of the fact that she had a daughter who lived in the West End. (see also Foubert's Place)

West End Lane
LAT: Christine grew up here in a "tragic flat" with her father and stepmother.

West Hampstead
LAT: see Hampstead

Westminster Abbey
LAT: Christine would go for afternoon walks during her pregnancy and drop in occasionally to the nearby Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Bridge Road
FAF: Alfred either takes it to get to work, or the family's factory is located on it.

Westminster Cathedral
LAT: Christine stopped here once. The first time it is unnamed but described as having a "hybrid red and white striped mass" with a broad pavement in front of it. Fibich also walked around its wide pavement later in the book as part of a longer walk. (see Walks below)

Whitehall
ACE: Where Colonel Dodd works (Harriet's friend Tessa Dodd's father.)Whiteley's
FAF: Where Evie may have gotten her wedding dress (see also Harrods)

Wigmore Hall
FAF: Where Lautner takes Mimi for piano recitals.

William Street
ACE: Where Merle opens her dress shop after the war. The family, Hughie, Merle, and Harriet, lived above the shop.

Wimpole Street
FFE: Rachel taxi goes "up the dark defile of Wimpole Street" on her way to see Dorrie at the London Clinic.

World's End
LAM: Dr. Simek lives in a large, dull house near World's End

Walks

HDL: Edith's Walks
With most of the book taking place in Switzerland, Edith doesn't take any walks in London in Hotel du Lac, she does them all on the shores of Lac Leman.

LAM: Fanny's Walks
Fanny does lots and lots of walking around London, but the locations fade more to the background than they do in other Brookner novels and in general, London seems like less of a character.

LAT: Fibich's Sunday Walk
Around a deserted Victoria, the wide pave of Westminster Cathedral, into Buckingham Palace Road, past the Queen's Gallery, turned towards Belgravia, walked up Elizabeth Street, turned into Chester Square. "Darkness seemed to envelop him in the short distance between Elizabeth Street and Ashley Gardens."

LP: Lewis's Walk
Like gentlemen in Trollope, covering a long distance appealed to Lewis. "He walked through the clamorous Strand to Trafalgar Square, down the Mall to Victoria, and then into Pimlico Roadand Sloane Square. Then it was merely a matter of following the King's Road until he got tot he Common (likely Parsons Green).

LP: Lewis's Walk after leaving Pen's house
After leaving Pen's house on Pitt Street, Lewis "walked down Pembridge Crescent, the large houses ghostly in the moonlight. In Kensington High Street he thought he might pick up a taxi, but there was nothing to be seen. He walked down Earl's Court Road into Old Brompton Road, then down Redcliffe Gardens and Edith Grove into the King's Road. From there it was his usual walk home [to Parsons Green]."

SIL: Ruth's Walk
From Edith Grove to Chelsea Old Church(presumably along Cheyne Walk/Chelsea Embankment, then onto Victoria [Station], turning back to Sloane Square, then following the King's Road to Fulham Road where she catches a bus back to her flat on Edith Grove. It isn't clear where she connects with Fulham Road from the King's Road but using Google maps, this "walk" is about five miles.

A compilation of all things Anita

International Anita Brookner Day was created in 2011 by Hogglestock (formerly My Porch) and Simon of Savidge Reads, to celebrate 30 years of Anita Brookner's fiction on her 83rd birthday. These posts were created by both bloggers and blog-readers to mark the occasion. If you have a book review or something Brookner-related that you would like us to include here, just let me know.